I know this sounds crazy, that’s what I thought as well when I first saw the picture of a bacon pancake in one of Martha Stewart’s magazines. A whole year later, I still could not get the curiosity out of my head so I decided that I was going to give it a try. I liked the results, but J wasn’t too into it. I think it was because of the batter which was a little too dense. So anyway, we had a fabulous breakfast as I also made banana pancakes! Ever since we have been going to Nosh Cafe I am all about brown sugar bacon, so I added my own twist this these yummy pancakes.

Pancake batter (homemade or from store bought mix)

Bacon (as much or as little as you want…I went a little crazy)

Brown sugar

Maple syrup

I would highly recommend making the bacon in the oven. I didn’t because I was being lazy. I usually make my bacon on Georgie (George Foreman Grill), but I didn’t feel like taking it out. I made it in a pan and I ended up messing up the Teflon because of the sugar. In retrospect, I am so glad that I did not use my Georgie! So the oven option is the best, especially, if you have a wire rack, in case you prefer that your bacon does not cook in its own fat!

Cover a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Set a wire rack on the cookie sheet and line bacon on the wire rack in a single layer. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar and bake until crisp. Take out of the oven and place on paper towel. Crumble bacon once it has cooled down enough to handle.

So I have posted about Indi and her pink blanket before. She still loves her blanky as the holes continue to increase! The other day she stepped into her crate, picked up her blanket, and laid down all curled up with her blanket under her head. It was too cute and of course I had to capture this tender moment!

Bonus picture: Indi once again winking 😉 or more like “leave me the f@#$ alone mama”

Today is the first day of spring which coincides with the first day of the Persian new year. The official time of the transition from winter to spring was last night at 10:48. I made it home from school just in time to sit around and celebrate with J and Indi.

The picture above is my Haft Sin which we are supposed to make where each items is symbolic. Once again, I am lazy so I am going to cut an paste the smart people from Wikipedia who have taken the time to do a nice write up about it.

Haft Sīn (هفت سین) or the seven ‘S’s is a major tradition of Nowruz. The haft sin table includes seven specific items starting with the letter ‘S’ or Sīn (س) in Persian alphabet). The items symbolically correspond to seven creations and holy immortals protecting them. Originally called Haft Shīn, the term was changed to Haft Sīn after the Iranian people adopted Islam, because wine (sharab) was one of the Seven ‘Sh’s, and drinking intoxicants is forbidden in Islam.[citation needed]. The Haft Sin has evolved over time, but has kept its symbolism. Traditionally, families attempt to set as beautiful a Haft Sīn table as they can, as it is not only of traditional and spiritual value, but also noticed by visitors during Nowruzi visitations and is a reflection of their good taste.

Today is the evening of Chahar Shanbeh Sury. In Iran people gather around bonfires and jump over the flames while reciting a phrase which loosely translated means “give me your red complexion or coloring and take my yellow or sickly coloring.” This is an old ritual which always takes place on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year.

Tonight I created my own version of a bonfire. I came up with my own genius method a few years back when I didn’t have a backyard. A good old candle on the floor of my apartment was given he honor of pretending to be a bonfire. So once again this year I jumped over a candle! J partook in the celebration by jumping over our makeshift fire while reading the phrase from one of my Persian cookbooks which has a description of the whole event. Then he promptly handed me the book and went back to watching his documentary. I am glad that he at least partakes…while he probably thinks to himself “what have I gotten myself into.” 🙂

Wikipedia does a fabulous job of explaining this ritual and because it is late and I am tired I am going to just post the portion that is relevant to today:

The night before the last Wednesday of the year is celebrated by the Iranian people as Chahârshanbe SûrîPersian: چهارشنبه سوری, (Azerbaijani: Od çərşənbəsi meaning wednesday of fire, Kurdish: Çarşeme surê, چوارشه‌مه‌ سوورێ meaning red wednesday), the Iranian festival of fire. This festival is the celebration of the light (the good) winning over the darkness (the bad); the symbolism behind the rituals are all rooted back to Zoroastrianism.

The tradition includes people going into the streets and alleys to make bonfires, and jump over them while singing the traditional song Zardî-ye man az to, sorkhî-ye to az man; This literally translates to “My yellowness for you, your redness for me,” with the figurative message “My paleness (pain, sickness) for you (the fire), your strength (health) for me.”

It is St. Patrick’s Day and I must post to honor J’s ancestors. The other day while at TJ I found a cute little pot of Shamrock and bought it for J. I had never seen one up close; it is cute with really pretty white flowers that open during the day and close at night.

We are going to have a couple of our favorite Irish things today such as Guinness and Dubliner cheese. YUMMYY!!!